A US Navy warship carrying thousands of Marines and sailors is headed to the Middle East is nearing the Malacca Strait off Singapore as it makes its way to the region, maritime tracking data showed Tuesday. The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was approaching Singapore, at the southwestern edge of the South China Sea, Tuesday morning, according to AIS tracking data. US Navy ships often move with AIS transponders turned off. Revealing their positions while transiting areas with heavy maritime traffic, like the waters around Singapore, enables safer operations. The Tripoli is carrying troops from the Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), a rapid-response force of 2,200 personnel, after the Pentagon ordered the unit to deploy, according to three officials familiar with the plans. Officials report the unit was being sent to the Middle East, without revealing exactly where it would be deployed or what it would be used for. An MEU consists of four elements: command, ground combat, air combat and logistics combat. MEUs typically have been used for missions like evacuations and amphibious operations that require ship-to-shore movements, like raids and assaults. They also have ground and aviation combat components, and some units are trained for special operations. Based in Sasebo, Japan, the Tripoli, almost 850 feet long and displacing 45,000 tons, is essentially a small aircraft carrier and carries F-35 stealth fighters and MV-22 Osprey transports as well as landing craft to move troops ashore. It is the lead ship in an amphibious ready group, which would normally include the amphibious transport docks USS New Orleans and USS San Diego.
NN: Watch, Iran is about to lose its ability to export oil they. And they can’t make it on selling Persian rugs.